''Riders of the Purple Sage'' is a 1982 American silent

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

film directed by

Frank Lloyd Frank William George Lloyd (2 February 1886 – 10 August 1960) was a British-born American film director, actor, scriptwriter, and producer. He was among the founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and was its preside ...

and starring

William Farnum William Farnum (July 4, 1876 – June 5, 1953) was an American actor. He was a star of American silent film cinema and became one of the highest-paid actors during that time. Biography Farnum was born on July 4, 1876, in Boston, Massachuse ...

, Mary Mersch, and William Scott. The film is about a former Texas Ranger who goes after a group of Mormons who have abducted his married sister. This Frank Lloyd silent film was the first of five film adaptations of the novel.

Plot

Former Texas Ranger Lassiter (William Farnum) leaves Texas and travels to Arizona sage country pursuing a group of Mormons who abducted his married sister. He arrives at the Withersteen ranch near the Utah border, where his sister was last seen. He meets the Withersteens and their beautiful daughter, Jane (Mary Mersch). Lassiter rescues her rider, Venters (William Scott), from torture at the hands of a villain named Tull (Murdock MacQuarrie). Soon, Lassiter falls in love with Jane, but when she learns about his mission, she is reluctant to help him, fearing more violence will come to the region. Her feelings for him change, however, when she sees the hardened gunfighter befriend her ward, a young orphan girl named Fay Larkin (

Nancy Caswell Nancy Caswell (October 28, 1913 – February 2, 1987) was an American child actress of the silent era and later as an adult in talkies, including a Three Stooges work. As a baby she was proclaimed the "perfect baby" and was the youngest actr ...

). While Venters is out searching for the rustlers who have been raiding the Withersteens' ranch and stealing their cattle, he wounds and captures the rustlers' masked leader, who turns out to be a beautiful young woman (Katherine Adams). Rather than turning her over to the law, Venters brings her to a secluded valley, where the two fall in love. Meanwhile, Lassiter learns that his sister is dead, and that the man who abducted her, Dyer (Marc Robbins), is also responsible for much of the trouble faced by Jane and her family. Lassiter tracks the villain and raids a Mormon meeting, killing Dyer. The angry Mormons then pursue Lassiter, Jane, and Fay to the secluded valley where they meet Venters and the repentant cattle thief, whom Lassiter recognizes as his dead sister's daughter, Millie. Venters and the girl escape the Mormons, but Lassiter, in rolling a huge boulder down on his pursuers, blocks the only exit to the valley, trapping himself, Jane, and Fay inside the valley forever.

Cast

as Lassiter * Mary Mersch as Jane * William Scott as Venters *

Marc Robbins Marc Robbins (January 3, 1868 – April 5, 1931) was an American actor of the silent era. He appeared in 78 films between 1914 and 1923. He died in Los Angeles, California. Morey was from Topeka, Kansas, and he acted with the Morey Stock ...

as Dyer * Murdock MacQuarrie as Tull * Kathryn Adams as Masked Rider / Millie * Nancy Caswell as Fay Larkin * J. Holmes as Jerry Carol *

Buck Jones Buck Jones (born Charles Frederick Gebhart; December 12, 1891 – November 30, 1942) was an American actor, known for his work in many popular Western movies. In his early film appearances, he was credited as Charles Jones. Early life, milita ...

as Bit part (uncredited) * Jack Nelson as Bit part (uncredited)

Production

''Riders of the Purple Sage'' features uncredited bit parts by future silent film stars

and Jack Nelson.

Reception

''Riders of the Purple Sage'' received mixed reviews upon its theatrical release in 1918. The reviewer for ''Motion Picture News'' wrote: The reviewer for ''Variety'' called the film a "not-too-absorbing adaptation of the novel", noting that the film "does not rise above the level of the average Western photoplay of this type and there is no special distinction in direction or photography." In her review for ''Allmovie'', Janiss Garza wrote that despite the "rousing climax", the film was "not one of the better adaptations of the Zane Grey novel." Like many American films of the time, ''Riders of the Purple Sage'' was subject to restrictions and cuts by city and state film censorship boards. For example, the Chicago Board of Censors required a cut, in Reel 3, of the man falling after Lassiter shoots, Reel 6, the intertitle "He made me — I can't tell you — I can't —", the shooting of Oldring, and, Reel 7, last shooting scene in which a Mormon is killed.

Reissues

The film was reissued on April 3, 1921.

References

External links

* * *
''Riders of the Purple Sage'' at silentera.com
{{Frank Lloyd , state=collapsed 1918 films 1918 Western (genre) films Films based on works by Zane Grey Fox Film films Films based on American novels Films directed by Frank Lloyd Films set in Arizona American black-and-white films Silent American Western (genre) films 1910s American films 1910s English-language films